Prepare for cold March in Ottawa

There was a record breaking cold snap in Ottawa on Saturday, with temperatures hitting -20 and feeling like -27 with the wind chill.

It is the coldest March 11th on record in at least 80 years, according to David Phillips, senior climatologist for Environment Canada.

“What happened is the polar vortex is back. We probably will see about seven days in a row with freezing temperatures that started yesterday,” he said.

The cold temperatures started on Friday reaching -15 by 9p.m. A frostbite advisory sent out yesterday remains in effect.

The City of Ottawa paramedics remind people that “extremely cold weather can lead to serious complications, the worst being amputation. Injuries from frostbite are extremely common yet extremely preventable.”

Environment Canada predicts -11 tomorrow, with a morning windchill of -34. Meanwhile, snow is expected to return on Tuesday.

Phillips predicts this cool trend will last for at least the month.

"Ottawa is the third coldest national capital in the world and snowiest,” he said. “I think you will be in fact showing your reputation, probably this particular March and April.”

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